Sweetharp

[Julie Jones]

Why do you show the correct-sized case on your updated website if you don’t have any in stock? Do you have an exact time-frame?

[Julie Jones]

Correct my received date to mid-March, 2012. Sorry ’bout that!

[Amber M]

Yea, I never received a case that fit either…and my husband tells me that once again, the master of excuses is dodging calls. Not impressed.

[Biagio Sancetta]

I too have finally (finally) run out of patience.

[Biagio Sancetta]

Julie, the nylon strings are easily available from many string makers.

[mary-albers]

Good luck, Biagio on the refund by the 13th. After much frustration, I did throw in the towel and cancel my sweetharp order. Chris indicated he would refund my money. That was the end of May. He did finally respond to multiple emails stating he would work on the refund but that illness had made money “tight”. I have received no money and have heard nothing further.

I plan to give him until the end of July and then initiate complaints with the Attorney General and Better Business Bureau. Legal action is certainly a possibility.

Payments for the harp, case, and accessories were always made promptly. I expected to be treated in a like manner. So far that hasn’t been the case. I wonder how many customers are experiencing similar issues with this maker?

[nancy-glickman]

I too have not received anything either after sending a large amount of money to start the dying process and still have not gotten any email from Chris, only from Barbara Dixon. I have no idea what is going on and i have to say I too wish i did not order anything now. I was looking forward to this harp for months but I just don’t know what is going on. I keep checking my emails but nothing. I will keep looking at this thread though to see what has been happening with everyone else.

[Biagio Sancetta]

Mary, he is in business, whether he understands that or not.

[Angela Biggs]

Nancy, I know this won’t feel nice, and I know you shouldn’t have to do it, but I’m going to tell you what I told my student who is waiting for her Sweetharp. Don’t wait for emails, but call him. When nobody picks up and you have to leave a message, include the information that you’ll call back the next day — and then do it. If someone picks up and says they’ll get back to you with the information you want, tell them you’ll call the next day if you don’t hear by then, and then do it. Repeat for a few days. If you don’t get the response you need, then start saying you’ll call back the next half-day (afternoon or morning, depending). If that doesn’t get a response, start calling every two hours, then every hour. The key to this is the follow-through. It’s unfortunate, but the squeaky wheel does get the grease!

I know it will feel horrible, and I don’t think anyone likes using this approach, but it *definitely* gets results, and usually *very* quickly. I once used it when Verizon lost a phone they were supposed to be repairing, gave me a replacement, and then charged me for it; I got the $154 refund within three hourly phone calls.

[nancy-glickman]

thanks a lot, i know what you say is true, and it is too bad i have to do anything like that. did the student ever get her harp. i will keep checking back to see what is going on with these instruments.

[Julie Jones]

Thank you, Biagio for the info about the strings. Do you know any peninsula harp retailers I could go to for having strings put on my Sweetharp?

[Julie Jones]

Chris finally emailed me back stating that the cases shown on his updated website that DO fit the Sweetharp were made early and were the only FEW that fit.

He still doesn’t state when the cases that fit will be ready (if they ever will be.) Hmmnnn, do we know of any other retailer who makes cases to fit the newly-designed Sweetharp? Do you think I will be in my sixties, or possibly seventies, and God forbid, eighties when (and IF!!!!) the new cases ever materialize? Stay tuned…(for more frustration).

[cheryl-steckel]

I finally received my Sweetharp in May after waiting a year. My experience has been the same as many others’ – endless delays, no communication, emails & phone calls going unanswered, dubious excuses. The harp is beautiful, sounds amazing, & I do love it. However, it was packaged very poorly & the box had actually been torn open down the top where the two halves of the top flaps were taped together. There were numerous dents & small tears in the box as well. My heart was in my mouth when I wrestled the box into the house & opened it, afraid that my long-awaited harp had been damaged. Fortunately, she was fine, but opening that box was not a pleasant experience.

Chris also “forgot” to include the lap bar that is supposed to come with the Sweetharp, but it did arrive the next day in a separate box. He also “forgot” to include the extra set of strings I ordered & paid for in advance. After multiple fruitless emails & Facebook messages to him about the strings, I demanded a refund. He finally replied to me on Facebook several days ago & said he would transfer the funds to his Paypal account & refund me when it showed up in his Paypal balance. So far, no refund. I imagine it will be as hard to pry my refund out of him as it has been to pry anything else out of him that I paid for.

We had several phone conversations this spring & I told him quite clearly that he absolutely must get out of his mindset that “oh, we’re all artists here & all friends, & no one will mind if I am flaky about my obligations – I’m an artist after all.” He may be an artist when he is designing & performing, but when he is filling customers’ orders he is, or should be, a businessman. He did agree with me & said that was something in himself he was trying to work on, but of course nothing has changed, nor did I expect it to.

I’m not looking forward to another struggle with him about my refund for the extra strings. I will certainly never do business with him again. I’m just glad I didn’t order a case!

[Maria Myers]

Based on what you and others are saying about this harp maker, I personally would not do business with him.

[nancy-glickman]

here’s another experience, my wait time is now over a year. i was told to send another payment to begin the dying process so i did and now i still have nothing, i did not get a receipt. i was told the wait time for the dying process was about 3 weeks, that was almost 6 or more weeks ago. i did get the email from Barbara Dixon and i was told Chris was very ill but was getting better, so i thought i would hear something from him shortly, but nothing. so now i do not know anything about any harp being made for me and i’m out 600.00 also. now there is also the problem with cases so if i did have the harp how will i transport it. i also wanted to add more sharping levers, but because there is no communication going on i can see that would be pointless. i feel at this time i will not send any more money, i just wish now i had not ordered anything.

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